A younger brother who made his own name

Older brother Capp Culver, a 2001 Canadian High School graduate, had been an all-state linebacker and a strong classroom student. He fulfilled a childhood dream by earning a college football scholarship - to Stanford, no less.

The following fall Cade had the dubious role of trying to replace Capp at linebacker and tight end. The parents, Ed and Julie Culver, heard the comparisons while watching Cade play the last two seasons.

"Cade was a very good high school player, and he probably could have played college ball somewhere," Ed Culver said. "But we'd hear things like 'If Capp were playing, he would have made that tackle."'

Even Cade, who sees his older brother as a role model, acknowledged the inevitable comparisons. "We'd go to different towns to play and people would say, 'You're Capp Culver's brother, aren't you?' I'd say, 'No. I'm Cade Culver, but Capp is my brother."'

Cade could live with such comparisons because there never were any at home. Ed and Julie saw to that. "I never felt belittled by Capp or anything he accomplished," Cade said.

Instead of resentment, Cade respected his older brother's development. Capp had wanted to be a college football player since elementary school. Beginning as a sixth-grader, Capp was awakened at 5:45 most mornings by Ed for weightlifting at the local YMCA. Cade went along and worked out as well.

"Back then, Capp wasn't the best athlete around. He was unrefined, even uncoordinated," Cade said. "But he lifted weights and, during the summers, he ran and pulled the weight sled. I saw what it did for him.

"Capp never ceased to amaze me - whether it was going up 100 pounds in the bench press over the summer or knocking two tenths of a second off his 40 time. He had some God-given ability, but he turned his potential into more than most people thought would happen."

In addition to lifting weights together, the two brothers established a lawn-mowing service in 1995 that began with an old mower they pushed through the streets of Canadian and one or two yards. It grew into 25-30 yards. The brothers serviced the mower and handled the billing.

"It wasn't unusual for people in town to see them get into a five- or 10-minute fight out in the street over who was going to mow and who was going to weed-eat," Ed said, laughing. "They were typical brothers in that way."

Before his varsity football games, Cade found motivation in watching a highlight video of Capp's games. Ed had put the video together to aid Capp's college recruitment.

Despite comparisons to his older brother, Cade emerged into a very different person than Capp. While Cade never met a stranger, Capp had a small circle of friends. Capp led his team by example while Cade led vocally. Both were in high school literary competition, but Capp entered writing events while Cade took to the speaking events.

Capp strictly was a football player. Any other activity was done with the purpose of helping him as a football player. Cade was a more versatile athlete, competing in football, basketball, tennis and track.

Although never held in as high regard as Capp when it came to linebacking, Cade accomplished many of the same things. He was the district defensive player of the year and made third-team all-state.

But a college football scholarship wasn't Cade's childhood dream. His was attending one of the nation's military academies.

"At first I wanted to fly planes, but the more I read about West Point, it seemed like more of the presidents and great generals came out of Army," Cade said.

"I guess it's like at the end of a game, and I want the ball in my hands. If the country's in distress, I want to be right there doing something about it. It's the best way to give back for everything that's been given to me."

Ed and Julie had stayed away from making decisions for their kids. But once they were made, they insisted on pursuing the kids' goals with dogged determination. Hence Ed's early-morning trips to the Y, and his summer running program for his two sons.

They weren't so sure, though, about Cade's dream of a future in the military.

"Early on Julie and I actually tried to discourage Cade - or at least point out how tough it was, academically, and that he would have to serve five years after he finished school," Ed said.

"But Cade never wavered. Finally, we decided that if he was that gung ho about it, we'd get behind him."

So at the beginning of Cade's junior year at Canadian, the Culvers began the two-year application process into West Point. There were forms to fill out, congressmen to contact, essays for Cade to write, recommendation letters to secure, a physical to pass and a physical fitness test to pass.

"It was a taxing, stressful process," Cade said. "I couldn't have done it without mom and dad. It takes someone behind you saying this form needs to be in by this date. It's hard to make yourself fill out a form in the summer instead of going to the river with your friends."

Then came a lot of waiting and wondering if he would get a congressional appointment through U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Clarendon. Cade was so determined to go to West Point that he didn't return questionnaires from college football coaches.

Finally last Saturday, Cade learned he had been accepted to West Point. Two days later Kyle Lynch, Canadian's middle school principal who was Capp's head football coach, watched Cade playing his final high school basketball game.

"The thought came to me about how proud I was of Cade because he didn't try to be anybody else, and he didn't resent his older brother and who he was," Lynch said.

"Cade was comfortable with himself. He was like, 'This is who I am and what I like and I'm going to be fine with that.' He found out who he was and made his own way."

Mike Lee, assistant sports editor of the Globe-News, can be reached at (806) 345-3313 or at mlee@amarillonet.com.